PIERINI FITNESS

Thursday, April 30, 2009

An inspired presence for others


This is the fourth of five consecutive daily blogflections by middle-age men guest bloggers. 

Today’s guest blogger is David Hill, a financial advisor who helps clients develop cohesive, comprehensive financial direction. 

He’s also a bona-fide middle-age man and an accomplished fitness enthusiast. A passion for mountain climbing was awakened eighteen years ago with a first unsuccessful climb of 14,162’ Mt. Shasta. 

11 subsequent climbs, along with summiting a variety of 19,000’-23,000’ peaks in Africa, South America, and Alaska, as well as aspiring to climb all fifteen 14,000’ summits in California, are his expression of living life fully.

What follows is David Hill’s guest blogflection.


Whoa, am I in still in the middle of "middle age" or am I more closely aligned with the "seasoned age", as I am within six months of turning age 60? Last night, Tony Robbins showed up on another hyper infomercial of Unlimited Possibility available for each of us. After about ten minutes, I turned off the TV, and I turned in for the night with my wife.

This morning, I experienced an unsettling feeling, as I found myself questioning whether I have lived “big” enough, expansively, prosperously, creatively, lovingly enough for the short privilege of life I have been granted. The question marks stirred discomfort, sadness, anxiety, and dissatisfaction, as I questioned the value of how I have lived my life, what is the value of my presence, and whom I could be or have “if only.”

As I shared the discomfort with my wife, she reminded me of the value of my questions, because they are an opportunity to reconfirm--am I living life awake, as a distinctive human being who is making a difference?

This morning, I also had an appointment to be interviewed by my daughter’s partner to assist him in the writing of a college paper, as to why people travel. The magic of the synchronicity of life seems to always show up (whether or not we are aware of it), as it did this morning.

I was offered the opportunity to step out of my life-probing questions, and to answer other thought-provoking questions--what inspires me to travel and climb mountains all over the world?

As I stumbled to find the “perfect” answers, the introspection that unfolded, as well as the words that coalesced, stimulated a profound sense of appreciation for the opportunity I have been given to expand vistas, to learn differences, to share connection, to live history, to behold beauty, to honor magnificence, to step out of the grip of comfort, and open up to the exhilaration of freedom and discovery, when I step into a genuinely new frame of reference of experience outside my home community.

What eventually follows is that I am inspired to share the sensitivity awakened, the perspectives enlivened, and the vibrancy stirred. In that moment, I am reminded of the Contribution I am to whomever I connect and wherever I land, because of all that I have accomplished, received, and integrated as the distinctive traveler, professional, father, husband, citizen, and spiritual being I am.

Thus, for a precious moment, I experience the Grace of relief, that the value of life is not about how much I have accomplished or how I look as an individual. It is about who I am willing to be, as an inspired presence for others.

1 comment:

Charles Long said...

You can always come to Colorado and climb the 14ers here. Good blog.

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